Aspirin shouldn ’ t be taken with a common blood thinner
Doctors should recommend aspirin only when it ’ s absolutely needed
Some people who take the common anticoagulant warfarin along with aspirin could prevent bleeding events if they drop the latter drug , new research suggests . The study involved more than 6,000 adults taking warfarin in combination with aspirin but without any clear medical indication for taking the latter , such as having a history of coronary artery disease or heart attack .
When participants used aspirin less commonly , the bleeding risk dropped by 32.3 percent , meaning that one serious bleeding event out of � , 000 patients could be prevented by going off aspirin .
Both medications could lead to serious bleeding , but aspirin can be obtained without a doctor ’ s prescription , and some take it to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack .
“ Aspirin is not a benign medication , even if it ’ s available over the counter . Be sure to discuss with your doctor the potential benefits and harms of aspirin and determine if you should or should not be taking aspirin . This is especially true if you take another blood thinner medication , � study senior author Dr �eoffrey Barnes , a cardiology specialist at the University of Michigan Health �rankel Cardiovascular Center , said to Medical News Today .
Despite the risks , aspirin carries a lifesaving potential for many patients with a history of stroke , heart attack , a stent in the heart to improve blood �ow , or cardiovascular disease . The problem arises when people without a history of cardiovascular disease take aspirin and are also prescribed a blood thinner , said study author Dr �ordan Schaefer , a clinical associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School , in a press release .
Patients with high blood pressure should selfmonitor
Recommendation from doctors is important step to increase compliance
O
nly 62 percent of Americans aged 50 to 80 taking blood pressure medications or having a condition affected by hypertension were advised to measure their blood pressure at home , leading to significantly lower chances of them doing the check .
The poll , conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation , found that only 48 percent of the 1,247 respondents regularly checked their blood pressure , while doing so was three and a half times more likely if doctors made such a recommendation to their patients . “ Home BP [ blood pressure ] monitoring is associated with moderate decreases in BP and is cost-effective . �ur results suggest that protocols should be developed to educate patients about the importance of SBPM [ self-measured blood pressure monitoring ] and sharing readings with clinicians and the frequency that SBPM should be performed ,” the authors wrote in JAMA .
High blood pressure can increase the risk for heart attacks and strokes , but many people don ’ t realise they have it because it often doesn ’ t have any noticeable symptoms .
Finding ways to get more at-risk patients to self-measure their blood pressure could help them live longer and maintain heart and brain health , the authors said in a press release .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com SEPTEMBER 2022
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